


Sleepless Nights

by supposedly_archer



Series: Take Away The Pain [2]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, M/M, Mentions of medication/drugs, Mentions of nightmares & sleep paralysis as well, One Shot, Other, Pain, Reader-Insert, Tony's here for a hot second too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28546467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supposedly_archer/pseuds/supposedly_archer
Summary: The one where Stephen knows how to get into a hospital past visiting hours and helps you with a painful, sleepless nightA sequel to my oneshot "Can't Lose You"
Relationships: Stephen Strange/Reader
Series: Take Away The Pain [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091402
Kudos: 29





	Sleepless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hello I am back with another hurt/comfort fic because why not:)

The days after you’d woken up in the hospital were _hard,_ to say the least. 

They were filled with a flurry of doctors and nurses coming in and of your room at all hours of the day, making sure that you weren’t going to almost die again. You were well aware that it was their job and that they were there to help you, but it got incredibly annoying after awhile. 

You’d done your best to not get snippy with them, but your temper broke when Tony was visiting you. You immediately apologized, feeling guilty at snapping at him over one of his stupid jokes. He didn’t seem to take it personally, thank God, and left you alone shortly after. 

The one person you hadn’t gotten tired of was Stephen. He’d been there with you every chance he got and stretched out the visiting hours as far as he could, much to your nurse’s displeasure. 

But you could tell that he was very much tired and sleep-deprived. You’d urged him to go home earlier, to take a nap or go to bed early, but Stephen, ever the stubborn mule, refused. You insisted to him that you were fine and that you’d be alright on your own during the day. 

But, Stephen could see right through that lie. You were in pain almost constantly, no matter how much drugs the doctors pumped you with. Every breath felt like a challenge, and despite the doctors telling you that you were getting better, you’d yet to be convinced. 

At least the hospital forced Stephen to go home every day at 9 PM because the nights were always the worst. You could never get comfortable and it felt like your pain was multiplied by ten every time you tried to fall asleep. And the drugs that the nurses gave you that were supposed to help just gave you terrible nightmares and sleep paralysis. 

You were grateful in some odd way that Stephen couldn’t see you like this. Whenever he’d ask you how you’d slept, you’d reply with a wave of your non-IV’d hand. He never actually seemed to believe you, but he didn’t push you. 

Tonight had been the worst so far. You’d woken up sweaty and your heart beating so fast that a nurse had to come and check on you. She’d offered some medication to help you sleep, but you firmly told her no. It would just give you another nightmare. When she left the room, you laid your head back down on the pillow, pain spreading through your whole body. 

After a few minutes of deep breathing, you reached over to the bedside table where your phone lay charging. You unplug it and pull up your contacts. 

Stephen had told you that you could call him if you needed anything and he would pick up in an instant, no matter what. And tonight you did need something. You needed _him._ And if it was just his voice, then so be it. You’d rather have that than nothing at all. 

The phone rings a few times before Stephen answers. “Y/N? Are you alright?” Though his voice is still laced with sleep, you can hear that he’s concerned. 

“I’m fine Stephen. Just not having a great night.” You clear your throat, now feeling guilty. _He was actually sleeping for once,_ you think to yourself, _you should’ve just stuck it out till morning._

There’s a few beats of silence, and you clear your throat once more. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have called,” you begin to say, but Stephen cuts you off quickly. 

“No. No,” he tells you sternly, and you can hear the rustling of sheets. “Just hang on for a little bit longer, okay? I love you,” is what he says before hanging up abruptly. 

You open and close your mouth in confusion before setting your phone back down on the table. You have a moment of realization when you think back to a conversation that you’d have over dinner a couple nights ago. 

_“I could probably get in here past visiting hours,” he tells you with a mouthful of jello._

_You raise your eyebrows, looking pointedly at him. “Really?”_

_Stephen nods, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “I could. I’m sure I still have enough influence here that I could pull some strings if you ever need me.”_

You’d scoffed at the idea then, but now you were hoping that Stephen had been telling the truth. You missed him more than you liked to admit, and realized now that you needed more than just his voice. 

You lean your head back on your pillow once more and sigh, closing your eyes. You must have drifted off because when you open them again you see Stephen standing in your hospital doorway still in his pajamas with a backpack slung over a shoulder. You blink a couple times, wondering if it was your mind or the drugs playing tricks on you. 

But when you feel Stephen squeeze your calf assuringly, you let out a shaky sigh of relief. He places the backpack on the chair next to your bed before toeing off his shoes and climbing into your hospital bed with you silently. 

It takes a moment for him to maneuver his long legs around so both you and him are comfortable, but once he’s done so you press yourself into him, breathing in his scent. 

You stay like that in the dark for a while, with Stephen holding you in his arms tightly. Though you’re still in a fair amount of pain, it seems to have been dulled by Stephen’s presence. 

“How’d you figure this out,” you mumble to him. 

“Oh, I keep in contact with a few acquaintances for emergencies like these,” you huff at his response, but it causes a sharp pain to stab through your chest, causing you to quietly groan and your breathing to become labored. 

It soon snowballs into a coughing fit, causing Stephen to get up from the bed and grab the refillable hospital cup and fill it up with water from the sink. He hands it to you, rubbing your back comfortingly as you drink greedily. 

“Slow down,” Stephen warns you like he would a child, and you oblige, eventually pulling away and leaning back. You clear your throat, and Stephen sets the cup back in its original spot and climbs back into bed with you.

You once again lean into him, taking slow and deep breaths as Stephen presses kisses to the top of your head. “I wish you could just take the pain away,” you whisper, suddenly becoming emotional as tears start to form in your eyes. 

“I know, Y/N. I wish I could take it away too.” He presses another kiss on your head and you press yourself even closer to him, closing your eyes. “Try to get some sleep, love.”

You nod, whispering a small “I love you” before allowing yourself to be pulled into the depths of slumber. 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr: @banner-swift


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